ADHD Children May Gain More From Family-Centered Care
Study found teaching positive parenting skills in compassionate way improved outcomes
"Based on a non-confrontational approach, motivated interviewing is conducted in an atmosphere of acceptance, compassion and equality," Mendez noted.
The children in this study, ranging from age 6 to 12, had not been diagnosed with ADHD at the start of the study but were recommended for testing by their primary care doctors. Ultimately, 40 percent of them were found to have ADHD symptoms that would qualify for a diagnosis.
After one year, the children as a whole showed improvements in hyperactivity, impulsivity, inattention and social skills, which is not surprising, Elliott said.
"Even without intervention, children with ADHD generally get less symptomatic over time," Elliott explained. "Absent a 'control' group [children who did not receive any care], it is hard to know how big an impact either of these interventions had on that general trend."
However, the researchers reported that significantly greater improvements in all these areas occurred among the children who had symptoms that would qualify for an ADHD diagnosis and received enhanced collaborative care -- but not among those who received collaborative care but did not end up having symptoms that would qualify for an ADHD diagnosis.
"ADHD has treatments known to work, but only if they are applied consistently," Elliott said.
Study author Silverstein explained that three factors can interfere with a child's ability to receive successful treatment. These include: difficulty adhering to the therapy (for economic, family or other reasons); a mother's mental health problems; and other conditions the child has, such as oppositional defiance disorder, depression, anxiety, learning disabilities or even post-traumatic stress disorder.
The enhanced collaborative care approach tried to help with those factors, Silverstein said.
One goal is to reduce "coercive parenting," a style that uses "authoritarian, threatening, punishing, shouting and non-reflective methods of disciplining children," Mendez said.
"It's negative feedback for things done wrong, rather than positive feedback when kids succeed," Mendez added. "Lots of evidence shows that it is effective in the short run but counterproductive in the long run."
Silverstein suspects that the children with ADHD symptoms who received enhanced collaborative care experienced more improvement because the family could better stick to the therapies that treated the child's condition.
ADHD Children May Gain From Family-Centered Care
Study found teaching positive parenting skills in compassionate way improved outcomes
"Based on a non-confrontational approach, motivated interviewing is conducted in an atmosphere of acceptance, compassion and equality," Mendez noted.
The children in this study, ranging from age 6 to 12, had not been diagnosed with ADHD at the start of the study but were recommended for testing by their primary care doctors. Ultimately, 40 percent of them were found to have ADHD symptoms that would qualify for a diagnosis.
After one year, the children as a whole showed improvements in hyperactivity, impulsivity, inattention and social skills, which is not surprising, Elliott said.
"Even without intervention, children with ADHD generally get less symptomatic over time," Elliott explained. "Absent a 'control' group [children who did not receive any care], it is hard to know how big an impact either of these interventions had on that general trend."
However, the researchers reported that significantly greater improvements in all these areas occurred among the children who had symptoms that would qualify for an ADHD diagnosis and received enhanced collaborative care -- but not among those who received collaborative care but did not end up having symptoms that would qualify for an ADHD diagnosis.
"ADHD has treatments known to work, but only if they are applied consistently," Elliott said.
Study author Silverstein explained that three factors can interfere with a child's ability to receive successful treatment. These include: difficulty adhering to the therapy (for economic, family or other reasons); a mother's mental health problems; and other conditions the child has, such as oppositional defiance disorder, depression, anxiety, learning disabilities or even post-traumatic stress disorder.
The enhanced collaborative care approach tried to help with those factors, Silverstein said.
One goal is to reduce "coercive parenting," a style that uses "authoritarian, threatening, punishing, shouting and non-reflective methods of disciplining children," Mendez said.
"It's negative feedback for things done wrong, rather than positive feedback when kids succeed," Mendez added. "Lots of evidence shows that it is effective in the short run but counterproductive in the long run."
Silverstein suspects that the children with ADHD symptoms who received enhanced collaborative care experienced more improvement because the family could better stick to the therapies that treated the child's condition.
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